NEWS AND NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 98, 22 October 1904, Page 12

NEWS AND NOTES.

King Peter of Servia's coronation insignia costs only £800, the crown and aceptre being ma.de from a famous old brass cannon. Miss Dougherty, of Now York, met with an accident in her motor-car and lost her scalp. The scalp was found, and tiie doctors have successfully .grafted it on the lady's head. Swedish restaurant keepers of the oldfashioned sort charge less for a woman's meal than a man's on the theory that ohe is physically unable to eat so much. .A married couple travelling together are debited at many hotels as one person and a half. In a recent Issue of a San Francisco newspaper there were two articles. The .heading of each was in the same kind and size of type, and the articles were nlose together and of almost equal length. Both began at the top of the column. ■ .Here are the headings — "J. P. Morgan's Life is Placed in Jeopardy." *"Jjou Dillon 111 and in Danger of Death." J. P. Morgan is the noted financier. Itou Dillon is a horse. What is fame? In Russia («ays Mrs. George Cornwallis Ij9est in the Cosmopolitan) v a lady who Would indulge in thirty or forty cigarettes a day will not smoke in a public place. On the other hand, in the most aristocratic Austrian circles, ladies are frequently seen smoking cigars afe balls and receptions. It is not to be denied that smoking is much on the increase among women in England, and is now more or less an accepted fact. That the early closing of publichouses lessens drunkenness seems to be fairly proved in the case oi Glasgow (remarks * London paper). The Corporation dedided three months 'ago to close publichouses at 10 o'clock instead of 11. Since then the average number of charges of drunkenness before the Courts on Mondays has diminished by twenty-six, and the weekly, average of offences traceable to drink > has declined by forty-eight, '.these are not sensational figures, but they show that Glasgow people, having less time to spend in publichouses, are becoming more sober. Thirty-four years ago, at the time of the great war, Germany had practicallj no fleet at all, and it/ was only due to the fact that her armies enjoyed a practical walk-over to Paris, that the French navy had to send all its men and guns to help in the defence" of the capital, and was put owt of action, so to speak, by the German victories on land — a result unique in history. Now, however, with ' the virtual extinction of the Bussian seapower, Germany has become the strongfist naval Power after JFrance. Fifty-four of her warships, including nine battleflhips, with aggregate crews of 13,000 men, are now anchored in Kiel Harbour in preparation for the naval manoeuvres, which are io be carried out on an unwonted scale. They tell this story of Sir Francis Bertie, who has just become British Ambaseador to France. As Assistant Under-Sec-retajty of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Francis used to go to Balmoral andWindoor during the late Queen's reign. On one occasion, say the raconteurs, the Queen said to him after dinner: 'Mr. BerTie, I must, ask you to be good enough not to sign your telegrams announcing your arrival ' Bertie,' as it makes me expect my son, and causes me disappointment." This with the utmost gravity. After that the telegrams were carefully signed " Francis Bertie." Confusion was saved at the cost of a half-penny.— M.A.P. A belated story, but one now printed for the first time, of Mrs. Georgino Welflon, the well-known singer, and more widely-known litigant, who caused Gounod such trouble. She was one* rela*. ing her experiences of Holloway Gaol to her friends, and remarked, with a note of regret in her voice : " Ah\ those were the happiest days of my life." "Why, how was that?" asked her astonished listeners. " Well," s»id aho, " the way they cooked fish there was a dream!" Lord Louth, who took a prominent part ihe other day in the formation of that remarkable new movement in Ire,and, the Reform Association, promoted by the progressive landlords, is one of the Plunketts who spell the name with the double "t." "itPt $* b*?*™ 1 ™ I<°rd Fingall, he is a Catholic. Lord Dunsany, who is about to become a Benedick, is a Protestant Plunkett, as is Sir Horace of that ilk. The barony of Louth was under an outlawry from the time of Cromwell till 1798, for the reason that the holders of ihe title fought stoutly for Charles I. nnd James 11. -Field-Marshal Yamagata is one of the oldest and most famous of Japan's military commanders, and has been variously described as the Moltke and the Lord Boberts of the East. He is one of the men who were "made" by the revolution of 1867, which restored the Mikado to power and overthrew the Sokugawa dymasty after a reign of two and a half centuries.- Later he studied the art of war" in Europe and went through the whole of the Franco-German campaign. Yamagata must be added to the list of chronic invalids who have accomplished work of epoch-making significance. For many years past his health has been poor, bo that as often as not he has been unable to participate in person in the triumphs which his brain has planned. During the war with China, though he was credited with the direction of almost every battle that was fought, he was never present in person at a single important engagement. None the less, he insisted in accompanying the army during the*terrible campaign through Manchuria. — Westminster Budget. The Jewish Chronicle announces that the expedition appointed by the Zionist organisation in Vienna to explore the territory offered by the British Government for a Jewish settlement in East .Africa will be ready to start in October. The expedition will be composed of five gentlemen, three from England and two from South Africa, and its report is expected to be ready next March. The next Zionist Congress will be held at Basle early in March. The siege of Port Arthur, which has now lasted 176 days, is very insignificant when compared with some of the sieges id the campaigns of the nineteenth century. The longest siege occurred in the American Civil War, when the Confederates defended the town of Richmond for 1485 days, or just over four years. Sebastopol, in the Crimean War, held out for eleven months, while General Gordon defended Khartoum against the Soudanese for 300 days. Fifteen thousand men held the fortress of Kars during the Crimean War for 163 days against a force of 50,000, and then only surrendered through hunger. In the Franco-German War Paris was besieged for 131 days, Belfort for 105 days, and Metz for 70 days. The sieges of Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking, in the South African War, lasted 120, 123, and 261 days re- ■ ipectively. The Chronicle has an interesting story of a record bread-making feat which was carried out at Blockley, Worcestershire, • year or so ago., It was desired to as-

certain how soon a loaf could be produced from standing wheat. The grain was cut, the sheaves carried to the granary, and threshed and winnowed in sbc and a half minutes. Then the grinding took five and a half minutes more. The flour was quickly kneaded into loaves and cakes, and at 9 o'clock, or in half an hour from the time the cutting began, it is declared, seven small cakes were ready to be taken from the oven. In forty minutes the larger loaves were baked, and one was sent to the King. At Trenton, New Jersey, Mrs. Shaw (telegraphs the New York correspondent 6t 'the London Telegraph) was suddenly attacked by an eagle. The woman screamed and endeavoured to frighten the bird away, but the eagle refused to go, and swooped down upon her with its powerful wings, and trying to claw her head. Finally the bird struck the woman to earth. She lay almost stunned, and the eagle alighted on 'her shoulder and commenced- pecking her. The stinging pain revived her, and she shrieked and struggled, and managed to grab the head of the bird, which she held fast with her apron until several men arrived and put an end to its life. The eagle from wing to wing measured sft llin. It is to be stuffed and exhibited at the Cadwallader Museum. It is absurd to test the "brain-power" of women by asking how high they figure in examinations or trades ; that is to say, how dexterously and powerfully they work I as sweeps, or parsons, or journalists, or emrerors, or innkeepers, or what not. For the very great "brain-power" of women in the world is largely poured out in an attempt to modify the excessive sweepiness of sweeps, the undue parsonity of parsons, the journalistic feverishness of journalists, the Imperial vulgarity of emperors, and the moral difficulties that arise from the keeping of an inn. — 6. K. Chesterton in the Daily News. The quaint custom of "crying down the credit of the regiment" has just been revived at Plymouth by the 2nd Hants Regiment. The battalion drum and fife band proceeded to different parts of the town, when a 'halt was made, and the drum-major ,read out the proclamation warning tradesmen that men of the regiment could not be held responsible for debts over the value of one day's pay. The function was undertaken in order to keep alive one of the oldest customs of the Army. Familiar in eong and story are gentlemen who break the bank at Monte Carlo. But the man who nearly broke the Bank of England is a new-comer. He appears to have been a celebrated financier, apparently French, who was in Thread-needle-street one fine day, when he needed a little ready money. He entered the bank, and presented a cheque. As he had no account, the request was politely refused. He returned next day with a cart and a huge bundle of thousand-pound notes, and demanded gold. The stupefied cashiers shovelled out sovereigns to the tune of £400,000,000 sterling, and then the directors of the bank went down on their knees and begged the celebrated fi naiicier not to ruin them and their country. Bis. revenge was satisfied, and he forgave them for the affront to his cheque. This anecdote has had a great success in Paris. Ifc is all very well to be told that the Japanese soldiers can get along with tea and a handful of rice or beans or dried fish. But has any one met a Japanese bean face to face? (enquires averacious London paper). An American horticulturist, who has been experimenting with them, has produced a vegetable measuring 42in and filling a quart measure. That expiains the whole mystery. The Jap soldier starts out on his day's pursuit of the Russian with a bean strapped round his belt, and when meal time arrives, bites off a foot or two according to his appetite. We must always remember the size of these things. A recent writer in Manchuria tells of his surprise at hearing that a cabbage was on its way to him from an admiring friend. He did not quite appreciate the gift till he found that it weighed 4001b and lasted a good-sized family, with friends and relatives thrown in, a whole winter. A correspondent, writing from the rural depths of Essex, sends a story of the manoeuvres. A body of eighty soldiers gained a ferry; and fording the river, reached tha tailgate on private land. The lady who was on "sentry-go" challenged the officer in charge, and as he refused to give the "password" of one penny per head, the only alternative was to turn .back, re-ford the river, and by skilful manoeuvring cross a ferry at which there was no feminine or financial obstruction. Does Mr. Parker, the Democratic candidate for the Presidency, eat pie twice a day or does he not? If he does, is it a fact that speaks well for him? This double-headed conundrum is just now being furiously debuted in the United States, and threatens to become a campaign issue. Naturally the interest in it is most strong and most personal among New Engenders, those champion pieeaters of the world. The Boston transcript holds that if Mr. Parker really eats pie twice a day he is as good as elected already. Pie and patriotism, it proves, are inseparable. The discovery of Washington's cook that apples could be made into pies was celebrated at headquarters by a banquet. "It is ar historical fact," says the Transcript, "that Washington placed great confidence in pie-eaters." "Parker and Pie" is therefore the Democratic warcry. The immigration authorities caused the arrest in New York recently of the Rev. Alfred B. Hart, Rector of the Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Brooklyn, who is accused of having entered the United States contrary to the Federal alien laws. The Immigration Department is acting on a charge that the minister has been convicted of crime on two occasions while living in England. Friends of the clergyman say that he was born in the Eastend of London as a Whitechapel waif. A rich lady of London practically adopted him, and provided the money for a superior education for him. He is said to have graduated from Oxford University, and to be a man of considerable culture. He is well liked by his parishioners, among whom he has worked since last year, giving during that time considerable attention / to the poor. Driffield, in Yorkshire, is probably the only place in England where the harvest bell is still rung. On e,ach of these days at 5 a.m. the church bell sends the harvesters to the fields, and at 8 o'clock in the evening sets them op their homeward weary way. In Hertfordshire the same signals are given by blasts upon a horn, which . is blown at the farmhouse. In some rural districts the beginning of the harvest is still a little ceremony, and the ■first sheaf is cut by the clergyman. Recently was sold at Sotheby's a copy of Shakespeare's works, dated 1747. It was interleaved throughout with marginal notes, and belonged to Dr. William Dodd, who was hanged at Tyburn for forgery. Dr. Dodd was a celebrated Shakespearian scholar, and published "The Beauties of Shakespeare." His copy of the poet's works realised the large sum of £131. "De man dat don't live within his income," said Uncle Eben, "is purty sho', sooner or later, to have to try de experiment of livin' without it."